The Media in Today's Press 23.10.09

The hostile reception shown to British National Party leader, Nick Griffin, both inside and outside BBC’s Television Centre last night, is the main talking point in all of today’s dailies, with both the MEP and the Corporation facing strong criticism following his appearance on yesterday's edition of Question Time….

Second-year Journalism student, Alan Robertson, who is studying at Strathclyde University, takes a look at the media stories making it into the pages of today’s papers….

The far-right leader’s confession that he was “the most loathed man in Britain” was echoed in the Scottish Sun, which insists “millions more Britons hate him too” (page 1).

“Racist BNP leader Nick Griffin was booed and heckled last night as he spouted his vile views on the BBC’s Question Time,” it says, while deputy political editor, Graeme Wilson, uses his column to claim the BNP leader “bottled it” (pages 4 and 5).

The Daily Record unites with their Scottish rivals in their indignation at Griffin’s performance on the BBC’s current affairs programme, with 'Question Slime' stretched across the front-page. Record View turns the spotlight on the Corporation which, it is says, has “emerged badly tarnished from this whole saga” (page 8), with reports of the demonstrations staged outside the BBC’s London and Glasgow offices reported on pages 4 and 5.

The Scottish Daily Mail takes a similar stance with an added focus on the “bare-faced hypocrisy” of the BBC in their use of political impartiality to justify inviting Nick Griffin onto Question Time (page 14). The Guardian is also critical of the BBC’s decision to give Griffin a platform in their editorial, calling it a “golden opportunity” for the BNP to legitimise their policy and a “chance he should never have had” (page 40). Adding insult to injury, Herald columnist, Ian Bell, launches a stinging attack on the Corporation for making “fascism reasonable” (page 6).

The Scottish Daily Express front-page offers a clear message: “BNP Leader Nick Griffin is… A Disgrace to Humanity”, while, inside, chief political commentator, Patrick O’Flynn, adds that “had this been a boxing bout the referee would have stopped it early to spare him from further punishment” (page 5).

The Scotsman carries a similar report entitled, 'Griffin Given Rough Ride by TV Audience' (page 1), while The Independent contains an eye-witness account from Martin Wilson who memorably describes the BNP leader as “just a bit of a buffoon” (page 2). The Times, meanwhile, concerns itself with the aftermath of the BBC’s decision to host the British National Party leader. “Both the BBC and Ofcom, the broadcasting regulator, are expecting a barrage of complaints from viewers who were offended by Nick Griffin’s presence on the show,” it says (page 5).

Other media stories:

* ITV is to drop Big Ben from the News At Ten opening titles because of fears it could alienate viewers outside London – Daily Record (page 3), Scottish Daily Express (page 15), The Daily Telegraph (page 7).

* The BBC plans to introduce its global iPlayer and charge international viewers for content – The Daily Telegraph (page 7).

* The BBC has moved Strictly Come Dancing to an earlier time to avoid schedule clashes with rival The X Factor – The Times (page 37), The Herald (page 11).

* Nokia has announced it plans to sue US rivals, Apple, for allegedly infringing patents on the iPhone – Daily Record (page 28), The Scotsman (page 9).

* British actors need to be more attractive if they want to succeed in the US, according to an ITV executive – The Daily Telegraph (page 7).

* Scottish filmmakers warn Creative Scotland must do more to protect the long-term security of the industry – The Times (page 23), The Herald (page 15).

* A Hebridean-based author plans to post his novel, MacKenzie’s Issue, 140 characters a time on social networking site Twitter – The Scotsman (page 16).